Grade Point Average as a Predictor of Work Performance Among Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review

Nour Al-Ziftawi,1 Diala Alhaj Moustafa,1 Dana ElKhalifa,2 Maha Wazne,3 Eman Ibrahim,4 Ahmed Awaisu1 1College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; 2Pharmacy Department, Aspetar Hospital, Doha, Qatar; 3Pharmacy Department, Aman Hospital, Doha, Qatar; 4High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EgyptCorrespondence: Ahmed Awaisu, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU-Health, Qatar University, P.O.Box 2713, Doha, Qatar, Tel +974 4403 5596, Email [email protected]: Grade point average (GPA) is a widely used measure of academic performance in educational programs. However, its correlation with real-world work performance among healthcare professionals is widely debated.Objective: To systematically review the literature regarding the relationships between GPA and indicators of job performance and success among healthcare professionals.Methods: A comprehensive search of the following electronic databases was conducted to retrieve studies published between January 2000 and December 2023: PubMed, EMBASE, CINHAL, and the Cochrane Library. Grey literature was also reviewed for eligibility using ProQuest and Google Scholar. Only original research involving healthcare practitioners after graduation was included in the study. The impact of GPA on relevant work performance indicators was summarized by healthcare professional group. The risk of bias was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment tools.Results: Fourteen original studies were included in this review. Of these, six studies focused on physicians, six on nurses, and two on pharmacists. Thirteen of the studies were observational cohort studies, whereas one was a case-control study. Four of the studies were rated as “good quality”, five as “fair quality”, and five as “poor quality”. The relationship between GPA and job performance indicators varied across the included studies and healthcare professionals. The findings showed inconsistent correlations: GPA weakly to moderately predicted physicians’ performance, influenced pharmacists’ pursuit of postgraduate training, and had variable effects on nurses’ critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and job turnover.Conclusion: The link between GPA and work performance differed depending on the healthcare professional group and the specific performance indicator being measured. While GPA may impact certain professional outcomes, its predictive value varies across roles and settings, underscoring the need for further research to clarify its utility as a performance indicator in healthcare.Keywords: GPA, grade point average, healthcare professionals, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, job performance, work performance indicators, academic achievement